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Sunday, 24 June 2012

In December 1969, John and Yoko had another crack at Apotheosis. This time, they settled on the medieval village of Lavenham in Suffolk:

The Market Square is pretty much unchanged:

Apparently, Lavenham was chosen on the recommendation of friends, though it's perhaps no coincidence that the witch burning scene in the 1968 (non - see comments) Hammer production Witchfinder General also used this location. The BBC's 24 Hours: The World Of John And Yoko doc shows the filming of the pair's latest opus (mainly huddling in the snow waiting for the balloon to inflate):

They didn't return to Tittenhurst that night, but rather opted for the Offord Suite at the Bull in Long Melford. On the right is a contemporary view:

Monday, 18 June 2012

Apparently it's someone's birthday. Here are 3 Cavendish Avenue shots which I'd never seen before, together with a spot o' context. They were originally in an issue of the Observer magazine published in 1969, though the pics clearly date from earlier. Above, Sir Fumbs admires his newly installed meditation dome (still there, though now containing Groucho Marx's old bed).Below, Macca, sporting his MMT getup, looks out over the garden:

And, finally, in said garden surrounded by his Alice In Wonderland statues, later Ballad Of John And Yoko-ised:

Sunday, 17 June 2012

John and (mainly) George, interviewed in George's Manhattan hotel room (apparently) on 20th December 1974 (again apparently); broadcast the following day on NYC station KHJ AM. I think the tape is a little slower than it should be - or else something has made George sound particularly lugubrious (not that there's anything wrong with that).Relations were a little spiky by that point, as can be heard, though there is an amusing moment when John asks (referring to Ringo) "Who was the other one?" and George replies "Bert". I need not explain, I trust.Was this the last time the two met face to face? Thanks to Lizzie for the nod.

Monday, 11 June 2012

The cupboard is currently on view at Christie's South Kensington branch, and, of course, I couldn't resist heading down for a shufti. The staff are extremely helpful; photos allowed, as was opening it up and poking about, missus:

I asked about the vendor: naturally, they can't divulge identities, but they did say that it came via a friend of the housekeeper at Kenwood. I'd guess Dot got it when Cynthia cleaned the place out, and then passed it on to her mate.

The interior shows some paint and the holes used to fix it to the wall. Riveting:

Pleasingly, they have left it entirely "as is", including cobwebs, spider corpse and, intriguingly, some flakes of tobacco on the lower shelf:

6-800 pounds seems a bit low to me. Having said that, there's a recession on, so who knows?

Almost certainly another June 29th shot, taken, I'd guess, just before the famous one of John and Julian looking back up the steps to the door to nowhere, next to the sunroom. You almost get a J'n'J-eye-view...but not quite:

Monday, 4 June 2012

Sunny is back on the market, this time as a rental (if you have to ask, you can't etc.), and some splendid new photos have been "done" to accompany the ads.Note: all that remains of the Flying Cow these days are the authentic pub glass window panes. The bar, housed in a small ground floor room, survived into the 90s, before going to make way for an expanded dining room:

That wall was built by Ringo, or rather by Bricky Builders on behalf of Ringo. The pool is new(er):

Sunday, 3 June 2012

You have no doubt seen A Hard Day's Night many less times than me, and yet will still have vivid mammaries of the titular sequence where Les Fabs are grilled by the lads and gentles of the press. Papable nonsense.Perhaps the most memorable tit is the bit where John is asked about his hobbies, and responds with a shocking scribble.Ever wondered what he titty? Wonder no more: the answer, inevitably, is "tits".Watch it again if you don't believe me, as if you needed an excuse.Thanks to Sir Thomas, as ever.